20 Waste of Time

After a tiring day spend in Leijing, they finally arrived back home.

Being a gentlemen at heart, Weihao was the first to exit from the carriage in hopes of helping the girls down.

"Here," Weihao offered Rufen a hand.

"Thank you, Young Master." She slowly side while unsure of his intentions. She grabbed his hand and exited the carriage.

Rufen and Weihao turned back to the carriage and couldn't help but lightly laugh at Yuxi. She was snuggled into the corner of the carriage, her eyes closed and her chests steadily rising up and down. She was fast asleep.

"It seems she's extremely worn out by today's events." Weihao hummed to Rufen who nodded in response.

Weihao was also tired. From watching the auction for so long, having another conflict with Suying, and threatening to kill him, the day was simply too long.

Rufen leaned into the carriage and tried to shake Yuxi awake. When she grumbled in her sleep, but her eyes refused to open, Rufen felt conflicted.

"Lady Yuxi, we're back in the Chen Manor. It's time to wake up." Rufen was shaking Yuxi by her shoulders, this time with more force.

"It's alright, I can carry her back to her room." Weihao didn't want to disturb her sleep. She was clearly too tired to do anything else.

Weihao went into the carriage and picked her up. She was mumbling something underneath her breath and her eyebrows were creasing together. Mistaking her actions as a response to disturbance to her sleep, Weihao didn't pay any mind to it.

He didn't know Yuxi was experiencing a terrifying nightmare that would eventually continue to haunt her for a very long time.

"Please inform my grandfather that Yuxi is too tired to attend dinner." Weihao told Rufen.

"Yes, Young Master." With a slight bow and hands tucked in front of her, Rufen excused herself.

Walking towards the main entrance of the Manor, her feet suddenly stopped. She was hesitantly and nervously starring at the servant's entrance and the guest entrance.

The guards standing in front of the entrance didn't spare her any looks. They seemed unbothered by her, as if she wasn't dare.

Rufen wondered if anyone would say anything if she walked through the main entrance. But she knew it was unwise to do so.

When Rufen walked towards the servant's entrance, which was a bit farther from the main entrance, Weihao spoke up.

"What are you doing? Come on, let's go." Weihao said while carrying Yuxi's sleeping body in his arms.

Rufen couldn't help but think Yuxi looked like a Princess. With guards on both sides, a handsome boy carrying her, it was easy to understand why Rufen saw that illusion.

"Um, I was walking to the servants entrance..." Rufen said with a meek smile. She grew up within the Chen Manor walls, but was still unsure of herself.

She knew most prominent families would never allow a servant to walk through the main door. It was a sign of disrespect and would often belittle the importance of the door.

"It's only a door, don't worry about it. I will make sure no one speaks a word about it." Weihao said with a smile.

Rufen stared at him like he had gone crazy. His smile was also beginning to make her nervous. She had heard the rumors that Weihao was raised humble by the Commander and rarely cared about the social hierarchy.

"But it's not socially acceptable..." Rufen uttered with knitted brows.

Weihao let out a loose laughter. "It'd be a waste of time to walk all the way to the further ends just to walk through the servant's entrance."

"But-"

"Come on, let's go." Weihao grinned, stepping into the entrance with Rufen following closely behind him.

Ever so often, Rufen would glance at Weihao from the corner of her eyes. He was very carefree and there was a pleasant and warm aura around him. Despite his age, he was very handsome. There wasn't any bad rumors surrounding him and he seemed to treat everyone with respect.

Rufen finally understood why so many families sought after him. Fathers wanted him as their son-in-law and mothers wanted their daughters to marry him for his good reputation and background.

Rufen remembered what Chunan had said about Weihao. Before accepting the offer to become Yuxi's maidservant, Chunan had talked about the siblings.

Weihao was kind, welcoming, and a gentlemen. It would be extremely beneficial for Rufen to marry him, and with the strings that Chunan could pull, it wouldn't be that hard. But Rufen felt inferior to all of the daughters from outstanding families.

She saw herself as nothing more than a servant. Rufen didn't want to foolishly dream about a future with Weihao. She saw it as an impossible dream.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Mei-mei seems to be deep in dream land." Weihao commented to Rufen who was taking off Yuxi's shoes.

"Chunan said Yuxi often dreams a lot...I wonder what she dreams about." Rufen said while placing the shoes away.

Weihao gently tucked Yuxi into bed. He did it slowly and handled her with care. He treated her like a porcelain doll. To him, that's how she looked like - an adorable and priceless doll.

"I hope it's a wonderful dream." Weihao said while lightly patting Yuxi's forehead. He was securing the sides of the blanket and making sure everyone inch of her skin was covered by the warm blanket.

"Rest well, Mei-mei." Weihao whispered. He smiled at her peaceful face which expertly hid the chaos of her dream.

Turning off the lanterns in her room, Weihao and Rufen walked out of the room. They were completely oblivious to the heart wrenching nightmare that Yuxi was having.